We See Possibilities

Coming from three generations of Watershed residents, Kenneth moved to Seattle for 17 years and worked on community projects that dealt with rights advocacy, street outreach, harm reduction and education, with organizations such as The Orion Center and Peace for the Streets by Kids on the Streets (PSKS). 
Kenneth came back to Puyallup Watershed area in 2011 and has taken residence back on South Hill with his wife and five children (out of six) who still live at home.

Realizing the need for local advocacy and activism, Kenneth has dedicated the last several years to fortifying his ability to assist others. Kenneth is returning to school to earn his AA-DTA at Pierce College Puyallup, and now holds certifications in Social Service Mental Health from Pierce College-Ft. Steilacoom and Washington state DSHS-DBHR as a Peer Counselor. Kenneth is notably well versed in the subjects of youth rights and specializes in working with the trauma, co-occurrence, and addiction struggles related to homelessness.

Casandra was born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, attending elementary, junior high, and senior high school there. She has worked 25 years for the State of Washington as a state employee.

She earned her Bachelor’s Degree from The Evergreen State College in June 2000, and later earned a Juris Doctorates Degree from Oakbrook College of Law. She has worked in the legal profession or in a legal capacity for 25 years.

Casandra volunteers her time for issues that she is concerned about. She has served five years as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) where she volunteered time advocating for children who were abused and or neglected. She also volunteers as a Senior Mediator with the Thurston County Dispute Resolution Center to facilitate discussions between parties who want to resolve their own conflicts outside the justice system.

She enjoys working with people, and she aspires to becoming a Civil Rights Attorney. Casandra also hopes to live in a healthy environment and understands that many of our chronic diseases are attributed to our environment, which in turn affects the foods that we eat because of the use of pesticides and other carcinogenic chemicals. She hopes more and more people start eating a plant-based/whole food diet because it is so much better for all of us. To promote progress in these ways, Casandra appreciates the opportunity to serve on the Community Board, because she loves her community and feels she can add value to it.

Grayson grew up on the East Coast and has called Western Washington home for the last five years. Grayson’s organizing and work is rooted in family—chosen and otherwise—seeking to grow and build relationships that create networks to meet the needs of their communities. Grayson is a farmer and sees farming and growing food as a method of creating community, nourishing people, and getting to know place. Presently, Grayson is working and building a farm in Eatonville where they are incorporating their values and inviting community in to dream and build. Grayson also works at and co-manages Mother Earth Farm, organizes with Black and Pink and is a member of Class 7 of the Jane’s Fellowship. Grayson is white, trans and queer—fiercely proud of their roots, and working to make trans and queer people visible in rural places and seeking community to undo oppression and reconnect in authentic, honest ways. When Grayson is not working, they like to unwind by reading, dancing, writing, and scheming new ways to find joy.

Juana Gallegos is proud first generation Hispanic, born to immigrant parents. Since her mother was not allowed to finish high school when she emigrated from Mexico as a teenager, empowering women and education has become a true passion for Juana. She is a lifelong West Coaster having lived mostly in California, Nevada, and Washington. Her brief moments in the Midwest, were due to her life as a previous Air Force airman, working on computers, which she now happily reminisces as a veteran. It was in the Midwest where she married and had two kids, so Nebraska will always have a piece of her heart (GO HUSKERS!).

Juana currently spends her days working and loving her current career as a pediatric nurse at a local Hospital. As she hopes to inspire other Latinas like herself to pursue their education goals, she continues to work full-time while also being a full-time graduate student, progressing toward a Masters of Nursing in Education.

All her life growing up Juana has lived in underserved communities with the inability to do something. Now as an adult she finds it her duty to try and help in any way she can to help others like herself break the cycle of poverty. Not only does she pride herself on her heritage and her culture but she wishes to pass that on to her daughters, to change the narrative that people have that assimilation is necessary for success. Juana’s most time-consuming hobby and also her favorite is trying to raise two wonderful, intelligent girls who want to become veterinarians in the future. 

During World War II, Dixie worked as a “Rosie the Riveter” and then attended Northwestern School of Commerce in Portland, Oregon in 1946. Dixie was a Claims Representative for the Social Security Administration until 1984. Dixie is a lifelong volunteer and trail advocate. She has had prior collaboration with other Puyallup Watershed Initiative partners including ForeverGreen Trails; Tacoma Wheelmen Bicycle Club; and others such as the Carbon River Forum. She has also been extensively involved with the Mount Rainier National Park Volunteers as a backcountry ranger in the Carbon River area and in overall, year-around management of the program for five years. She is the 2004 recipient of the Secretary of Interior’s “Take Pride in America Award” for her service at Mount Rainier. She is also the 2015 recipient of the Toastmasters International Distinguished Toastmaster Award for outstanding accomplishment and leadership.

Geysar Gurbanov was born in Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and earned a law degree from Baku State University. From 2005-2006, he studied Administration of Law and Justice in the United States through the fellowship program of the U.S. Department of State. Before running for local elections in Azerbaijan, he was a director of the NATO Information Center. As a consultant, he advised the Council of the European Union in matters concerning human rights and political issues in Azerbaijan from 2008 to 2011. In 2013, he became a Rotary International Peace Fellow and went on to earn a graduate certificate from the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center in international peace and conflict resolution as well as a master’s degree in East European and Russian studies from UNC Chapel Hill. Currently, Geysar lives in Tacoma, Washington, where he owns a business and works on his upcoming book. He also serves his community via Rotary International and local nonprofits in Pierce County. In his free time, he publishes articles on immigration, religion, and politics. His writings have appeared in multiple news outlets. He speaks English, Russian, Turkish, Polish, and Azerbaijani.

Nannette is a research assistant and PhD student at Washington State University, Puyallup, where she researches non-point source pollution and stormwater. She is working to develop a decision support system which will allow municipalities and other regional stakeholders to prioritize the placement of green stormwater infrastructure while considering the watershed’s hydrologic controls, economic controls, and community-driven perceptions of green stormwater infrastructure. Nannette is devoted to catalyzing the power of diversity within the region to develop a broader, deeper understanding of the unique challenges our communities face in light of our changing climate and the area’s rapid urbanization. She believes that these challenges can be conquered through collaborative solutions that are as unique and diverse as the communities they serve. Nannette holds a Master of Science in Geographic Information Systems from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Washington Tacoma.

Don was originally from Massachusetts and lived in the Pacific Northwest for nearly 40 years. He had a terrific 28-year career with King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division before retiring. He served as a dedicated member of the Active Transportation Community of Interest since its start. Don was passionate about the health of the Salish Sea and the Puyallup Watershed as well as non-motorized access to the estuaries, rivers, wetlands, forests, farmlands, and grasslands across our region. He attended the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and completed Associate Degrees in Water Management and Wastewater Management while at Green River Community College in Auburn, Washington.

Kathryn Lewis holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration (UWT, 1996), and a Master in Public Administration (TESC, 2000). At Evergreen her primary focus area was increasing women’s voices in local community planning. She worked in local government for nearly 30 years and now works for Etta Projects here in Tacoma. She enjoys cooking, sewing, arts & crafts, and the forests and shorelines of the Puget Sound. She is especially interested in social justice and queer theology, as well as Salish, Celtic, and Norse cultural and artistic history. Kathryn is a mother of nine wonderful young adults.

Hayley is a Washington native and University of Washington Tacoma graduate. While earning a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, she did water quality research in Costa Rica and was hired at the Center for Urban Waters, where she currently supports numerous Industrial Stormwater Community of Interest programs. Before returning to school to complete her degree, she spent 8 years as a project coordinator for her family’s construction company, where she learned about project management and the challenges of running a small business. Over the past year, Hayley has been a member of the Puyallup Watershed Initiative’s (PWI’s) Transitional Board, and was a key member of both the Equity and Community Board Nominating Committees. Hayley has actively contributed to the PWI’s Equity Mapping research as well as gathering best management practices for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Virginia grew up in and around the watershed. She found her passion for urban issues, particularly housing, through the Urban Studies program at UW Tacoma. She graduated in 2019 and took a one-year AmeriCorps position working in the affordable housing sector. This is her second AmeriCorps term. In a previous AmeriCorps position, Virginia tutored and mentored elementary students in South Seattle. Service is one of Virginia’s core values. Her work reminds her every day that economic, environmental, and racial issues are deeply interconnected here in the watershed.

Virginia’s goal as a member of the Community Board is to be of service to communities in the watershed. She looks forward to continually learning from people about their experience, their work, and how best to support them. Virginia is deeply grateful for her life in the watershed and the many opportunities she has had here. Her goal is always to leverage her privilege towards creating a better, more equitable world.

Valeria Sanchez-Jimenez was born in Mexico City and moved to the United States with her parents and younger brother at the age of eight. Since then, other than the two years when she returned to Mexico City in middle school, she has lived her whole life in Tacoma and the unique Puyallup Watershed. In this place that she calls home, Valeria counts among her formational experiences the opportunities to engage with the Tacoma Youth Symphony and with Hilltop Urban Gardens, where she continues to engage as audience member and volunteer, respectively. After graduating from Stadium High School, Valeria attended Pomona College in Claremont, CA, where she studied in the Environmental Analysis, Philosophy, Economics, and Politics departments. Ultimately, she settled on a degree in Theater after having sustained an injury, in which somatic (body and movement) work was instrumental to help heal. Valeria was also involved in the college’s immigrant affinity peer support group and pro-immigrant rights club, and on the Student Government’s Food and Environmental Committees.

After graduating from Pomona College in December 2019, Valeria returned to Tacoma to study Materials Engineering at Tacoma Community College, to work in her family’s housekeeping business, and to help in the education of her beloved seven-year-old sister who is beginning elementary school at Whitman elementary. Valeria is considering her options for the future while continuing to engage with causes that matter to her (environmental, social, and political justice; equity in arts; community self-determination within a complex larger system) in a community that nurtured her and in which she is very invested.

David Nash-Mendez received his Master in Public Administration degree from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington through their Peace Corps Masters International program, combining his studies with practical application as a Peace Corps Community Development Volunteer in the Republic of Macedonia. Following a six-month rotation in the City Manager’s Office, David is currently working on community outreach and engagement of immigrant and refugee communities in the Office of Equity and Human Rights. As a Tacoma Fellow with the City of Tacoma, David has also supported the creation of an Immigrant and Refugee Commission in the City; prepared for adoption of a Language Access Policy for the City; served as a liaison to several community groups including the newly formed Latinx Unidos del South Sound; and evaluated Tacoma’s Committees, Boards, and Commissions with a focus on inclusivity of traditionally marginalized communities. David is also an avid language learner and speaks English, Spanish, Macedonian, German and Polish.

Heather is a longtime resident of Puyallup. Originally from the Midwest, Heather was fortunate enough to have grandparents who lived on a farm in South Dakota, so she was able to enjoy summers on a working farm. Heather has lived in many locations both in the U.S. and Europe during her husband Greg’s military and government service. Currently, Heather is a Contracts and Procurement Specialist at the Port of Tacoma. She previously served on the Puyallup City Council (2014-2017) as well as on the Pierce Transit Board. Also, Heather has been a member of the Puyallup Library Foundation for many years. She is a graduate of the University of Mississippi, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Heather has a small home orchard and loves to have her hands in the dirt. She is the mother of two daughters, Lorren and Hollis.

Debbie is a licensed landscape architect with over 25 years of experience in parks, natural resources management, planning, funding and policy work. Her specialty is in stakeholder participation and collaborative decision-making. Debbie came to Metro Parks Tacoma in early 2015 as the Director of Planning and Development. Her department is responsible for the long-range planning, capital development, and sustainability of park projects supported through bond financing, grants, and partnerships. She previously served as the Surface Water Management (SWM) Director for Snohomish County, and has also worked in public administration, transportation and parks for Snohomish County Public Works, the City of Everett, Washington State Department of Transportation and the National Park Service. Debbie has a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Washington.

Anaid Yerena, an Assistant Professor in Urban Studies at UWT, is an architect, planner, and researcher who investigates public participation processes and activities related to housing and community development. Her research has a strong community-based component that provides knowledge to advocate for and empower disenfranchised groups. As an undergraduate at the Universidad de Monterrey, Mexico, she coordinated the development of the first Master Plan for the City of Montemorelos. She worked on the technical aspects of the Plan and set up a forum and interviews with local residents, which were crucial to building support for the Plan’s approval and implementation. While completing her Masters in Urban and Regional Planning at UC Irvine, she conducted research for the Los Angeles Legal Aid Foundation. Her most recent research looks at the influence of advocacy organizations that work to promote local affordable housing policies in cities across the U.S.

April joined the Puyallup Watershed Initiative in spring of 2017. She serves as the Community Relations Manager for Equity and Strategy. April has deep experience in non?profit management and community engagement. Prior to joining the Puyallup Watershed Initiative, April directed a grassroots non?profit in King County that developed the leadership of LGBTQ communities of color. She has a proven history of successfully engaging regional and national networks in addition to helping non?profits structure their boards. April holds an MBA in Nonprofit Management and a M.A. in Sustainable International Development from Brandeis University, as well as a B.A. in International Studies from University of Washington.